


And Baby Makes Three

by orynthlibrary



Category: Throne of Glass Series - Sarah J. Maas
Genre: Aelins havin self doubt as if she isnt the owner of the ToG universes Biggest Heart EvEr, Angst with a Happy Ending, Domestic Fluff, F/M, Fluff, Marriage, Pregnancy, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-08-28
Updated: 2018-08-28
Packaged: 2019-07-03 14:25:48
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,489
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15820722
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orynthlibrary/pseuds/orynthlibrary
Summary: Aelin finds out she's pregnant and immediately goes into fight or flight mode. This one made me kinda sad, actually.





	And Baby Makes Three

**Author's Note:**

> A request by @acourtofabasandillryians on tumblr. Thanks!

“And you’re absolutely sure you’re right? There’s no way it’s just…. A really bad ulcer, or something?”

The healer stiffened. “With all due respect Your Majesty, I have been doing this for 27 years. I’ve seen enough babies into the world to know when one is on its way, as is most definitely the case here, I can assure you.

Aelin winced. She’d been sitting in the healers wing for the last hour and her patience was beginning to wear thin. It looked like she wasn’t alone.

“I didn’t mean to offend, Haelne. I just…wasn’t expecting to get pregnant so soon.”

Haelne raised an eyebrow, leaning back against her work bench. “Forgive me for being blunt, milady, but you’ve been married for 20 years. Most women would’ve had their families long reared by now.”

“Twenty years isn’t much when you’ve 800 more to go” Aelin snorted, though her voice was quieter than usual. 

She was going to have a baby. A child that would depend on her, that would need to be clothed and fed and looked after…

And loved.

Aelin smiled wryly. Yes, there was that too. Her heart swelled at the thought of the tiny thing inside of her, growing and moving, even as every other part of her was slowly sinking into terror.

Already her brain had gone into autopilot mode, repeating the same panicked words over and over again.

_I don’t deserve this. Something will go wrong. I’ll hurt them. I’ll hurt myself. I’ll ruin it. I’ll-_

Noticing Aelin’s pale face, Haelne rushed over, taking the queen’s trembling hand in hers.

“Your Majesty” the healer said firmly. “Your Majesty, look at me. You must calm down. Worrying will only put the baby and yourself at risk.”

At that Aelin started, instinctively putting a protective hand on her stomach. 

Gods, she’d only just found out this baby existed and she was already putting it in danger. What sort of mother was she?

She shook her head, trying to right herself. She’d find out soon enough what type of mother she was. It was time to focus.

She stood up, ignoring the flash of concern on the healers face as she made her way towards the door.

“Thank you for your help Haelne. I know you must have other patients to attend to.”

Haelne was silent for long enough that Aelin figured she could make an easy getaway, but as she reached for the door knob, the healer called out:

“For what it’s worth, Your Majesty, I think you’ll be an excellent mother. And His Highness is will be an excellent father, too.”

Aelin turned, giving the healer a grateful smile as she backed out of the room, closing the door quickly behind her.

Rowan. Shit. Shit shit shit shit shit.

She’d been so caught up in her own feelings she hadn’t even considered how she was going to break the news to him.

They’d talked about children, of course, and she knew he wasn’t ambivalent to the idea of having them with her. 

But she knew that the memory of Lyria and their unborn child was buried deep within him, as much a part of him as she herself was. She’d never forget the look on his face the first time he’d thought she was carrying his child; the pure, raw fear had struck something within her, even as he’d agreed to forgo protection.

She’d been desperate for any way to help Terrasen then- any way to buy them all a bit of time.

She had no such excuses now.

Taking a deep breath, Aelin closed her eyes. 

She had to tell him. She knew she did, but…

But one of them had to be calm. One of them had to be the composed, rational one.

And since she couldn’t be sure how Rowan would react.. that meant it had to be her.

Opening her eyes, she squared her shoulders and headed for the gardens to try and calm her nerves.

~

Half an hour later, Aelin’s peaceful reverie was interrupted when a familiar scent drifted towards the comfortable wicker love seat she was perched on in the far corner of the palace gardens. 

Seconds later, Rowan Whitethorn Galathynius plopped down onto the side opposite hers, running a hand through his short grey hair.

“I’ve been looking for you, you know” he said. A question, not an accusation.

“I know” she replied softly, folding her hands in her lap. She turned to face him, pushing past the sick feeling in her stomach that had plagued her since she’d left Haelne’s ward.

“Rowan, there’s something I have to tell you. Before I say anything you have to promise me you’ll-”

“You’re pregnant.”

Silence.

Aelin paled. “How did you-I didn’t even...You’re all the way over there, you couldn’t have scented it on me!”

Rowan’s lips twitched though his face remained impassive. “I didn’t need to. You’ve haven’t been eating right for weeks, you snuck out of bed early this morning, and just now, as I’m looking for you, I meet the Head Healer. Who congratulates me and tells me I have to prepare a stress free environment for my wife and my baby’s sake.”

Aelin opened her mouth, then quickly shut it. She was having one of those rare moments in her life when she genuinely didn’t know what to say. Especially when he couldn’t meet her eye.

Rowan gazed out at the garden in front of them. “How long have you known, Aelin?”

She sucked in a breath. Honesty was the best policy here, she supposed.

“Haelne told me about an hour ago, but… I think I suspected it for a while. A month, maybe.”

Rowan nodded, leaning forward to brace his forearms on his thighs. He still couldn’t look at her.

Suddenly, it was all too much.

“Look at me!” Aelin blurted out, getting to her feet. “Talk to me, yell at me, just…just…look at me!

”

Rowan turned, startled, and began to move towards her, but she put out a hand to stop him.

“I can’t read you.” She choked out, “I can always read you, Rowan. I know what’s going on in your head, but not for this. Never this. And I know you might not be thrilled but right now I just need you to-”

Within seconds her husband was on his feet, wrapping his arms around her, as she held him tightly. The roaring in her head began to slowly subside as he rocked her in his arms, gently kissing the top of her head, her cheeks, the pointed tips of her ears

.

_So much for being the calm one, she thought._

“I’m sorry Fireheart”, he whispered into her ear, “I didn’t…I wasn’t thinking straight. I got caught up thinking about the past.”

Aelin pulled away so she could look at him, taking in the lines of the face she loved so desperately.

“I know.” She said softly, “And I know it’s sooner than we planned, and I know you might want-”

“What I want” Rowan interrupted, taking her face in his hands, “Is for you to be happy and safe and healthy. I want those things for our baby, too. I’m sorry I made you think this wasn’t what I wanted, Aelin. Because it is. A child of our own, a family… it’s more than I ever thought I’d get.”

Aelin sniffled. “You’re such a sappy old bastard Rowan Whitethorn.”

He grinned, baring his sharp canines, as he bent down and kissed her.

She sighed against his mouth, relieved that he knew and that he was happy, even if she herself was still wrestling with the idea of bringing a child of her own into the world.

_I don’t deserve this. Something will go wrong._

The thought hit her again like a punch to the gut. The idea of failing her own baby like she’d failed so many others…it was almost unbearable.

Feeling her stiffen against him, Rowan pulled away, frowning.

“Talk to me” he said softly, echoing her earlier words, “Tell me how you’re feeling right now.”

“I’m terrified, Rowan.” She whispered miserably. “ I’m so fucking scared. I don’t know if I can do this properly. I don’t know that I won’t do everything wrong and mess up another life.”

He nodded, stroking her cheek. “I know Aelin. I feel the same. But we’ve come this far together, haven’t we? Look at all that we’ve done. Look at all the people we love, the people who love you. All those lives you helped and cared for and loved. That can’t mean nothing.”

He winked at her, “or if all else fails and we really screw them up we can send them to live with Aedion and Lysandra.”

Stifling a grin of her own she punched him in the chest.

And in that moment, Aelin Ashryver Galathyinus felt that maybe, just maybe, everything would turn out alright.


End file.
